Kneecap‘s supervisor has recounted the “funniest second” of band member Mo Chara’s look in court docket at the moment (June 18).
Chara – actual identify Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh – appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Courtroom after he was charged with an alleged terror offence. This was over an alleged incident the place he reportedly displayed a Hezbollah flag throughout a Kneecap present final November. Hezbollah is listed as a proscribed terrorist organisation by the UK Authorities.
In response to the cost on the time, the group mentioned that they deny the offence and can “vehemently defend ourselves”. “That is political policing,” they wrote. “It is a carnival of distraction. We’re not the story. Genocide is.”
Kneecap have persistently denied supporting both Hamas or Hezbollah, and mentioned that they don’t incite or condone violence. Moreover, they described the authorized motion as a “carnival of distraction” and argued the footage was taken out of context.
Within the run-up to the trial, Kneecap urged followers to indicate their assist for Chara at Westminster with “an enormous bag of ket”. An enormous crowd – which Paul Weller was a part of – gathered exterior in solidarity holding Irish and Palestinian flags and placards with Irish slogans.
Afterward, Kneecap’s supervisor Daniel Lambert informed a narrative on X/Twitter the place the Justice of the Peace mentioned they’d been unable to search out an Irish interpreter for the trial.
“‘If anybody is aware of of 1…,’ he mentioned. Your entire public gallery giggle and all level at DJ Próvaí (JJ) on the identical time,” he wrote.
Funniest second of at the moment.
The Justice of the Peace (choose) mentioned the court docket had to date been unable to search out an Irish translator.
“If anybody is aware of of 1….” he mentioned
Your entire public gallery giggle and all level at DJ Próvaí (JJ) on the identical time 😂😂😂
— Daniel Lambert (@dlLambo) June 18, 2025
Próvaí was once an Irish trainer, and the scene coincidentally resembles one from the semi-fictionalised movie Kneecap wherein he acts as translator when Chara discovered himself in bother with the regulation.
He then posted a nonetheless of himself within the movie with the citation, “Moreover and never withstanding the aforementioned, he sees no cause to show he can’t communicate English as a result of he’s right here asserting his proper to talk Irish.”
Kneecap rap partly within the Irish language and have been vocal about wanting to maintain it alive by way of the medium of music.
“There’s nonetheless a post-colonial hangover of colonisers telling us that our language is ineffective and that we’re not progressive,” Moglai Bap famous within the band’s NME cowl final 12 months. Provaí added: “Individuals have been informed that for the final 100 years.”
Bap added: “If success is a method of getting the Irish language to new locations, then that’s one thing we now have to tackle. For any language to outlive, it needs to be alive within the music.”
An Irish interpreter will likely be sourced for the following listening to, which can happen on August 20. Og O hAnnaidh has been launched on unconditional bail till then, after he merely confirmed his identify, date of beginning and Belfast deal with. earlier than he was launched on unconditional bail till his subsequent listening to on August 20. It’s reported that that is to permit time for authorized arguments concerning the timeframe wherein costs had been issued.
Exterior the court docket, Kneecap’s spokesperson identified that they’d performed tons of of live shows “with no single grievance”.
“Around the globe, Kneecap are hailed as heroes,” he continued, earlier than criticising British courts for a “rushed prosecution following their Coachella efficiency, the place Kneecap didn’t shrink back from talking their reality to energy.”
He went on: “The fact is that Kneecap will get up towards political oppression, to defend their rights and the rights of artists and other people all around the globe. It isn’t new for Irish folks to be prosecuted beneath particular powers for terrorism acts.”
Whereas talking up for freedom of expression and freedom to protest whereas accusing Israel of humanitarian atrocities, he added: “Be not afraid, we’re on the best facet of historical past.”
Moglai Bap then addressed the gang, inviting followers to see them at Glastonbury and at their upcoming Wembley Enviornment present.
“If anyone goes to Glastonbury, you’ll be able to see us there” he mentioned, alongside his bandmates. “If anyone can’t be there, we’ll be on the BBC – if anyone watches the BBC. We’ll be at Wembley in September, however most significantly ‘free, free Palestine’.”
The case has been postponed till August 20 to permit time for authorized arguments concerning the timeframe wherein costs had been issued, an Irish interpreter is to be sourced for the following listening to
— Allison Morris (@AllisonMorris1) June 18, 2025
The band are set to return to Glastonbury subsequent week with the BBC vowing to televise their set whereas sustaining their broadcast pointers. Their set is scheduled for the West Holts stage on the Saturday and can happen at 4pm.
Numerous festivals together with Germany’s Hurricane Pageant and Southside Festivals, Cornwall’s Eden Challenge, and Scotland’s TRNSMT have dropped Kneecap from their line-ups amid controversy. The trio did play a defiant set at Extensive Awake Pageant in London just lately, shortly after holding a warm-up present on the metropolis’s 100 Membership.
In addition to Glasto, 2000trees have stored Kneecap on their set as 2025 headliners – promising followers that the looks will likely be “monumental” – and Bilbao BBK Stay just lately added the group to the invoice following them having their slot at TRNSMT axed.
